


Part 1 - Before the Fall

by LadyNightingGaleofMilvania



Series: Alterverse [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, Gladio won't listen to me, Ignis isn't a morning person, Ignis needs coffee to function, M/M, Poor pining Prompto, Pretty sure Noct has no idea, Shoudn't be too much though, Slow Burn, So those will be changed, Some text is obviously for the game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-21 17:42:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18145379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyNightingGaleofMilvania/pseuds/LadyNightingGaleofMilvania
Summary: This set of events happen before the events of the game.Please note: The events of each section of this story affect the rating of the entire piece itself since it used to be one whole piece. If something in the tags (whether the fun custom ones, or in the ones in the little top corner square) isn't present in the current piece that you read, please forgive me because it means that it is in a later piece, as I am 75k+ words/24 chapters in (not all of which are posted, as I am building up chapters to post again so I can have a steady posting schedule)





	1. Ignis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! If this all seems familiar, that's because I decided to chop up this series into chunks that you, as the readers, should be able to read easier. I'm going to try and keep this fanfiction in chunks because the longer I try to write this and plan for it, the longer this story becomes, so this will also help me in a way. I have begun writing and planning this story out again, so hopefully I'll have more chapters to post in before the end of the year is through! Thank you for those who have stuck around and continue to wait for me to post again, I appreciate your patience through this point in my life as I'm trying to get back to a place where I'm able to write more regularly. <3

Ignis Scientia was in the middle of cooking lunch in his apartment, a rare commodity since he was always on-the-go, but King Regis and his son Noctis were in the middle of a meeting and by the King's good graces it was decided he could abstain. Deciding to use it to his advantage, he tried to catch up on the many things that usually fell to the wayside to be finished on the only day he typically had off: Sunday. Ignis had managed to clean his apartment spotless, catch up on at least 10 reports and documents that he had been meaning to read and take notes on--though unnecessary, Ignis prided himself on staying up-to-date in case any of it were to be needed,--and managed to pay several bills all before lunch. As he was plating his rice the phone buzzed in his pocket.

 **Amicitia (Gladiolus):**   _Ya still gonna come to practice? Never known ya to be the late-type._

Glancing at the clock Ignis sighed and finished moving his food from stove to plate before setting the dishes in the sink to be washed later. While he ate he decided to reply to the message.

 **Ignis Scientia:**   _You do realize I still have an hour to get there, right? It's only 14:05. Is the clock broken in the training room again?_

Ignis ate his meal in relative silence besides a random text from Prompto about some sort of music group called the "Chocobros" coming into a nearby town causing the bespectacled man to sigh. Prompto had managed to convince Ignis to turn on one of their cds while driving one day just so the younger man could finally stop hammering them about never having listened to the newly-formed group... Needless to say Ignis never committed that folly again.

As he checked his phone for the time, Ignis decided to go ahead and drive over to the gym and meet Gladio for his training and subsequent workout. Grabbing his training bag from beside the door in the front hallway, he scooped his keys from the bowl on his side table he kept near the coat rack, not that he got many guests but the aesthetic was pleasing. As one of the people assigned to stay with the Crowned Prince at all times, Regis had reasonably requested that Ignis learn to fight and defend from attackers. He could find no flaw in the logic so Ignis had agreed after realizing that it would come in handy for himself as well, not only in the fact that it would help to improve his health, but he also realized after several years of training that he was nothing but lean muscle and it made him deceptively stronger than most would assume. As he pulled into the gym's parking lot Ignis spotted Gladio in his workout attire, consisting of little more than a set of gym shorts and a tank top that was slung over his shoulder, sweat glistened off his pectorals from obvious training with others. Gladiolus Amicitia, sworn Shield to the King--well Noctis was actually a Prince for now--the large man was leaned against the brick of the building and he was laughing with a trainee while another ran laps in the back area. Ignis parked and shut off his car, after taking a breath he grabbed his bag and opened the door and stepped out into the lot, feeling a gust of wind that promised rain later.

"Hey Iggy! Ten minutes early, huh?" Gladio called, jogging to Ignis' side, "So that clock is broken again like you said, looks like a trainee for the Guard knocked it over and thought that putting it back up would just make everything better. He's running extra laps right now until I figure out something better suited, they can't go around breaking stuff and not reporting it, y'know?"

"That's your field Gladiolus, not mine, and I trust that you will adequately deal with the issue. You would think that they would be more careful around the clock, however." Ignis stated plainly, "I'm going to change and warm up, you said you wanted to do something new today?"

"Yeah," Gladio admitted, scratching the back of his head, trying to find the best way to broach the subject, "You... tend to get stiff when you attack or defend I've noticed over the years, you need to relax so today we're gonna do some stretches and maybe try some yoga or something. I find some yoga before and after is a good warm up and wind down."

"You, into yoga?" Ignis couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Gladiolus doing some sort of silly stretch, "I never would have pegged you as the type."

"Yeah, yeah, all the other Crownsguard laughed as well until I got some to do it. The difference is pretty impressive" Gladio admitted with a grin himself, "I didn't expect to like it so much myself, but it's pretty calming as well."

As the two walked into the gym they headed toward the locker room to change or, in Gladiolus' case, exchange his already sweat-soaked shirt for his spare. Ignis found an unoccupied locker and proceeded to strip down, folding his clothes as he went and reaching for his bag's contents. Gladio was already walking out of the room, calling out to Iggy as he walked out.

"I'll be waiting for you out there, don't take too long."

Ignis checked his phone one more time before setting it into the locker and shoving his gym bag in it as well, locking it up as he slipped on his own set of Crownsguard-issued gym shorts and tank top. As he looked up he noticed that the locker room was completely empty for a change, everyone must have finished training for the day because of the predicted storm that was supposed to arrive later that day. Walking out to the main room, Ignis saw Gladio doing a series of stretches and contortions that didn't seem possible for a man his size, Ignis couldn't help but be impressed. He cleared his throat as he approached the behemoth of a man.

"So how will we begin?" asked Ignis curiously.

"Well first off we'll begin by just stretching, even if that's a good portion of what Yoga even is. Never hurts."

Gladiolus led him through a series of stretches before easing him into a few basic Yoga poses. Ignis could feel his muscles stretch in ways he didn't expect them to, it was very relaxing however.  _I might take it up in my spare time,_ Ignis thought to himself in passing,  _perhaps before bed?_  It was filed away for later thought as Gladio nodded at him.

"Nice to see you even somewhat relaxed, Iggy. Did you hear about what the meeting that the King pulled Noctis in is about?" Gladio asked, stretching into another pose.

Shaking his head, Ignis regretfully replied, "No actually, but he did tell me that he planned on having you and I as well as Prompto in for a meeting here soon but he had yet to set a time. He said he would inform me immediately when he did as I have a very hectic schedule trying to do my job to assist the Prince in everything possible."

"I wonder what's going on, I've heard Niflheim was trying to bring something up with the King and his Council, but I don't really know how accurate that would actually be." Gladiolus mentioned absently.

"Fairly accurate actually."

Suddenly rain began to pour from the sky and beat on the roof of the building, coming down in a torrential downpour that was like a wall of opaque water. Ignis looked at Gladio and cocked an eyebrow. Rubbing his neck Gladiolus grinned like a fool.

"Looks like our outside plans got rained out. Indoor training it is today." Gladio laughed until he noticed something and started at Ignis, "Your stance is off, here I'll correct it."

Gladio took Ignis' hips in his large hands and rotated them slightly, turning them at the same time. He quick jogged to the back door leading to the track and shouted that the kid out there could hit the showers and go home before he got sick. Afterward Gladio stepped back to stand facing Ignis and took the same pose up, leading Ignis into a few more poses before calling for an end to the stretches. Walking to the wall of practice weapons, Gladiolus tossed the twin daggers to Ignis, watching his lithe form catch both deftly before grabbing a sword himself. Gladiolus and Ignis both did some practice swings and movements to adjust to the weight before taking their stances. Ignis looked Gladio up and down, examining him and paying close attention to every movement he made, waiting for the hint of what he was planning...

Suddenly like lightning Gladio lunged forward, jabbing with the sword and Ignis deflected it with one dagger while lashing out with the other. Gladiolus dodged and turned about to face Ignis again who was already moving to attack with a quick flurry of motions, putting Gladio on the defensive. Taking several steps back to try and attempt a combination of deflections and dodges Ignis managed to hit Gladio's side before getting his own wrist caught in the other man's big hand and tossed aside, knocking Ignis off-balance as the Shield charged again. Ignis rolled into a less prone position when his back hit the wall, startling him and causing Gladio to almost hit him with an "end blow". Ignis pushed out from the wall and dove between Gladio's legs to escape, sweat was beginning to drip into his eyes from the physical exertion between the warm up, Yoga, and then subsequent practice. Their practice blades met again and again as their session went on, Ignis going from offensive to defensive then back again, using his athletic ability in his favor as he jumped, leaped, and flipped out of reach several times when Gladio swung at him.

As sweat was beginning to soak his hair, he noticed that Gladio's hair was becoming soaked as well; they had to be going on almost an hour, surely. Suddenly as Ignis zipped his left hand out to Gladiolus' side again he caught it but Ignis was expecting that, so he snaked a long leg out to try and knock the great brute down and use his weight against him when Gladio blocked Ignis' leg and used the kinetic force to knock him off to the floor which rendered his plan useless and, thanks to Gladiolus using his behemoth strength to his advantage and sitting on top of the skinnier man to pin him, lay the wooden "point" against Ignis' throat.

"Checkmate." Gladiolus declared triumphantly, waiting for Ignis to concede to the defeat.

"I yield." Ignis admitted, cheeks blushed from exertion.

Gladio stood up and offered his hand out to let Ignis up as both men huffed out staggered breaths, this training session had been more intense and Ignis could definitely see the difference that the Yoga had made; he would surely have to incorporate it into his daily routine both for practice and life. Ignis made his way to the weapon's rack and put his daggers up with his training partner not far behind to do the same as well. Patting Ignis on the back Gladio motioned with his thumb to the changing room and then tapped his wrist with two fingers.

 _Ah,_  Ignis thought to himself,  _training is up. Time to go home through the downpour._

"Ah, Iggy..." Gladio started, looking out the windows as he entered the changing room first, "I, ah... kinda walked here today... My car is in the shop because it wasn't running right, think I could bum a ride?"

Ignis thought about it for a moment but nodded, "Not a problem, you can stay at my residence until the rain decides to let up as well, unless you have anything to do that requires going to your place seeing as it's much farther away in the city?"

Gladiolus shrugged and put on a lopsided grin, "Not really, don't have much to do today other than hit the showers, Iris is spending the night at a friend's house so I don't really have anything to do today."

Ignis sighed, he too needed a shower, but hadn't remembered to pack his towel, a rare moment of forgetfulness on his part. He guessed he would just have to wash his clothes and change once he showered at his own place. There were a few reports at his house that Gladiolus needed to see anyway so he thought that it was harmless to throw the offer out there, besides it would be nice to have such a perfect specimen of masculinity inside his home... That thought stopped Ignis short with his shirt halfway off, where had that thought come from? He shook off the thought, perhaps it was just from overexerting himself from practice. He had given up on Gladio years ago so why was he thinking about that now? Pulling his tank top the rest of the way off his head, Ignis then removed his gym shorts, using the top for a makeshift towel and trying to wipe some of the sweat from his brow as much as he could before putting his shirt and pants back on. As he placed the sweaty clothes back into the bag and zipped it Gladio came out from the shower with nothing more than his towel wrapped around his waist.

"You did pretty good today, Iggy. Told you there'd be a difference." Gladio praised, winking an eye while heading to his own locker to change back into his normal attire.

Gladio removed the towel and dried his body before putting on his boxers and dark-wash jeans, holding off on his shirt as he tried to dry his hair that lie in a tangled mess on his head.

"You not gonna hit the showers?" Gladio questioned, motioning with one hand by jerking his thumb behind himself while still drying his hair off with his free hand, the other trainee must have left while they were still sparring because he was nowhere in sight.

"Forgot my towel," Ignis admitted plainly, shrugging as he slung his gym bag over his shoulder.

Gladio mimed shock, grasping at his chest and leaning theatrically against the set of lockers and let out a loud gasp for added dramatic effect.

"The perfect Ignis Scientia, _forgetting something_?" he exclaimed, dropping his towel to grab his shirt.

"I am still only human, Gladio." Ignis couldn't help but chuckle at the melodramatics, "If you're done I still have at least half a dozen reports to read and documents to type up before tomorrow, there's a few you may want to peek at that pertains to Noct and future plans."

Straightening up from the lockers Gladiolus pulled his maroon t-shirt over his head and nodded, shoving his clothes into a bag and slinging it over his shoulder, "Let's get going then."

The two ran to Ignis' car, getting soaked in the process. Ignis huffed in frustration as he unlocked the doors after seeing that his umbrella was sitting in the driver's seat, unscheduled days off always threw him. Tossing the umbrella and bag in the back he sat in his seat, Gladio copied him in every action but the seat belt. Ignis eyed him, his gaze resting heavily on the bigger man who shifted uncomfortably under the look.

"Fasten your restraint, if you would, please. Road conditions are not at their best and I will not risk more severe injury in my car, would ill fortune befall us."

Meeting Ignis' eyes Gladio sighed, seeing the steely resolve that told him he wouldn't win this argument. Reaching his hand over his right shoulder, Gladio clicked the buckle into place and Ignis began to drive into the rain. It was hard to see far in front of the hood of the car so Ignis became focused on the road and left any conversation by the wayside in exchange for a safe drive back to his place a dozen blocks away, tucking the car neatly into the garage parking of the complex. As Ignis shifted the gear into park Gladio had already unbuckled and was halfway out of the car, his skin starting to look slightly green.

"Gladio!" Ignis couldn't help but reprimand, although if Gladiolus were to be sick he couldn't help but rather it not be in his car.

"Sorry, Iggy." Gladio struggled to say through clammy skin and nausea, "I'm not actually a big fan of cars without the top or windows down, don't tell Noctis or Prompto."

Ignis grabbed both bags from the back seat as he sighed, opting to leave the umbrella since there was an indoor stairway up from where they were parked. Motioning with Gladio's bag Ignis made his way to the door leading upward, waiting patiently for the other man to recover and make his way over. Two flights of stairs later Ignis was sliding the key into the lock of his front door turning and opening it to the familiar surroundings of his wonderful and neat abode. He walked into his bedroom, setting the two bags in the washroom along the way. Once inside his room he made his way to the dresser and opened several drawers, selecting a pair of khaki slacks and a purple collared shirt with a white undershirt to go below it. He set them on the bed before walking quickly back into the living room, finding that Gladio had decided to sprawl comfortably on the couch.

"Here are the reports," Ignis told him, walking to the bookshelf he had in a corner and grabbing several large reports to set on top of the coffee table by Gladio's feet, "If you'll excuse me I'll try to find you something dry before I jump into the shower."

Gladio nodded, face serious as he immediately dove into the first set of documents. Ignis had a deep respect for the man, he could joke around but when it came to Noctis he became as serious as his role both required and demanded that he be. Ignis began to look in his bedroom closet before coming across the perfect outfit and walking back out.

"Will these suffice? I believe they should be about your size," he asked, handing the large pair of sweatpants and an XL black shirt.

"Damn Iggy, these are perfect. You been saving these just for me?" Gladio laughed jokingly.

"Not really, but I can always keep them on hand should this become a more frequent occasion." Ignis replied, suddenly coy.

That stopped them both short, Ignis could feel the flush begin to creep up his neck and over his face before clearing his throat and quickly excusing himself to the bath, closing his bedroom door hurriedly behind him.  _Stupid, stupid!_  he berated himself,  _I can't afford to make things any more awkward. You've been over this before Scientia, Gladiolus already turned you down years ago. Be professional, 'Noctis comes first' he said last time, it's what you need to remember._  He couldn't help but repeat  _'Stupid, stupid!'_  to himself as he let the water run to warm up. Stripping down to nothing but his bare skin, he pushed his hair back and stared at his own reflection in the mirror.

"He wasn't into you then, why would he be now?" Ignis muttered to his doppelganger staring back at him through the other side of the reflective surface.

He changed the water from faucet to shower head, placing his glasses onto the side of the sink. Ignis hung his towel on the rack and stepped into the hot stream of water, taking a deep breath to try and clear his mind. For years he had worked to block his feelings for Gladiolus, tried not to imagine what the feel of his godlike physique against his own slight and lithe form would be, how his eyes glowed like honeyed sunlight and how he always smelled like Eos and books...

It wasn't working, gods be damned. He would have to start from step one all over again, not the easiest task but Ignis was nothing if not determined. Washing his hair and body vigorously, Ignis rinsed off quickly before shutting off the water and shuddering at the sudden lack of warmth. Toweling himself dry, Ignis walked back into his room and looked out the window at the sheets of rain coming down as though the Leviathan were at the Crown City's doorstep. The downpour wasn't going to stop anytime soon, the weather reports were wrong already, it had said that the rain should have been slight... Suddenly light filled the room, going away just as quickly and he was washed in darkness. A shout in the living room told him that it wasn't just that light as Gladiolus must have become bathed in darkness as well. Quickly making the way to his bed, Ignis threw on his clothes and fumbled around the room for a flashlight.


	2. Gladiolus

Gladio tried to read over the military report, but he couldn't help thinking back to what Ignis had said.  _"But I can always keep them should this occasion happen more often."_  and that damn smirk! Gladiolus was glad for his luck of rarely blushing or he would have probably turned redder than a Lucian Tomato.  _Focus, idiot!_  he berated himself, the reports weren't anything he hadn't already heard from his father, but it was always good to make sure with an actual document rather than just word-of-mouth. He managed to read through the entirety of the first report after about 30 minutes of distraction, but when he reached for the second document titled "Covenant" a bright flash of light enveloped the room before darkness seized the apartment, causing Gladio to let out a startled yell.

"Just a moment and I can supply you with a light!" he heard Ignis call from his bedroom.

"It's all good Iggy, the power outage just caught me off guard is all." Gladio called back reassuringly.

Ignis soon appeared with two flashlights and a box of matches, giving one flashlight to Gladiolus while he used the other to go through the cupboards after setting down the matchbox. Hearing Ignis mutter to himself about candles, Gladio walked over to help light each space up more for easier viewing. Eventually the skinnier man found several candles and scooped them into one arm while holding the flashlight in the other as they made their way back to the living room. Iggy began to set up the candles on the spare space on the coffee and side tables as Gladiolus would light them with the matches.

"Some storm, huh Iggy?" Gladio asked, his tone light and joking.

"Mmmm," Ignis hummed in agreement, the candles casting an almost ethereal glow on his face, "Quite."

"Y'know, you look different without your glasses." Gladio pointed out, "Don't think I ever seen you without your usual 'do either."

Ignis moved his left hand to run it through his dirty blond hair as though he were suddenly self-conscious about his appearance.

"No, no!" Gladiolus reassured, grabbing his hand with his own left and moving it away, "You look good... Ah Six, but I'm gods awful at this stuff..."

"Awful at what?" Ignis struggled to say after a moment of piercing silence.

"Well reassurance for one thing," Gladiolus chuckled harshly, "Iris loves to remind me that I don't really have a way with words sometimes."

Gladio could see how tense Ignis was becoming, pain conflicting with some other emotion that he couldn't see because of the flickering candlelight casting shadows on the younger man's face. Thinking back to all the words they had exchanged, Gladiolus couldn't figured out what it could possibly be until he felt a slight tug on his left hand.  _His hand!_

"Oh shit, sorry Iggy!" Gladiolus sputtered, however he found himself unable to let go of the slim hand.

Ignis' breathing hitched--there it was again! That other emotion that Gladiolus could almost make out, something about it was so familiar and it teased at the edge of his mind.

"G-Gladio..." Ignis stammered out in a whisper with eyes wide open and staring at Gladiolus' lips, breathing shallow and mouth parted slightly.

Just his name was enough to interrupt his thoughts enough to realize that he had slowly, ever slowly, moved closer and closer to Ignis' face with his own. It was almost magnetic how Gladiolus felt drawn to the man in front of him. His heart was hammering in his chest as though trying to escape and his stomach clenched with nerves before he realized what was reflecting in those wonderfully green eyes: want,  _need._

"Ignis..." Gladio couldn't stop himself from saying.

The skinnier man let out an odd noise and immediately flicked those green eyes to meet his own amber ones. Lightning flooded through Gladio's veins, jolting up his spine like he'd never felt before; his stomach was doing flip-flops now and he unconsciously leaned forward, able to taste Ignis' breath which ignited a flame equal to his namesake. Their lips touched and Gladiolus felt the advisor's fingers lacing through with his own as Ignis shifted forward against the larger man, moving into his lap with his legs on either side while Gladiolus set the flashlight down and placed his now free right hand on Ignis' hip and met that hunger with his own.

Ignis was the one who broke away first, "Gladio, what about--"

Gladiolus cut him off with a growl, "No, I've wanted to do this for a  _long_  time, believe it or not."

Gladiolus moved to kiss Ignis again when the lights suddenly flared back on, breaking the spell that had overtook them both. The two sat like that for several moments, the only sound in the room other than the rain being their labored breaths. Ignis was the first to regain his faculties and had a sudden look of horror and fear on his face as he tried to remove himself from Gladiolus' lap. Instinctively Gladio tightened the grip his massive hands had on Ignis' own hand and hip, locking the slim man in place helplessly.

"Gladio," Ignis said, his voice growing husky, "'Noct comes first' that's what you told me three years ago when I confessed to you."

"I was also younger and dumber then." Gladiolus replied, letting go of the other man's hand to slide his own up his thigh only to slip under the shirt to rest on the small of Ignis' back.

It felt like the Infernian himself had set fire to his hand as soon as he felt Ignis' soft skin under his fingertips, causing Gladiolus to pull him closer and stared into his eyes. Heat was pooling low in his body and he could feel the other man begin to throb, betraying what Ignis was feeling. A knock at the door interrupted anything further. Ignis managed to scramble off Gladio's lap and hastily straightened out his clothes, artfully adjusting his pants to hide whatever embarrassment he most definitely would have at answering the door half hard.

"Just a moment." Ignis called, voice cracking toward the end.

Gladio had gotten up himself and blown out the candles, sitting back on the couch and peering over his shoulder at the front door behind him.When Ignis opened it Cor was standing there.

"Ignis, Gladiolus." Cor greeted, nodding at the pair, "Do you two have a moment?"

"Of course, come in." Ignis replied, stepping aside and motioning into the apartment.

As Cor stepped inside Gladio glanced at the "Covenant" folder, flipping it open and looking at the first page noting the pictures of the Royal Arms and their matching kings. Turning the page he found more detailed information on each weapon and corresponding king such as burial sites, weapon types, more detailed descriptions about each weapon, and coordinates. Cor spoke up as Gladio absently turned several pages of the information for each particular Royal Armament.

"I'm here to deliver a message to the two of you and Prompto. Kid wouldn't happen to be here too, would he?"

"Nah, he's been practicing like crazy at the Range. Never seen that kid so fired up." Gladio told him, shrugging. "What's going on?"

Cor was silent until Ignis closed the door, looking between the two he sighed in frustration, "We were contacted by Niflheim."

Shock registered on their faces.  _How could those damn Niffs be here?_  Gladiolus thought angrily. Ignis had already recovered and was asking questions.

"That's why His Highness told me to read over 'Covenant'..." Ignis muttered, "What are the terms? Does it have to do with the meeting that the King told me he was going to call us for?"

"It is, he's hoping to talk to you guys tomorrow morning. The terms though..." Cor gritted his teeth as he bit out the words, "Their terms are for our surrender though we would keep reign over Insomnia itself, however Prince Noctis must marry Lunafreya."

"But what does  _that_ ," Gladio said, pointing first at Cor, then the document that he had been flipping through, "have to do with  _this_? Are we not accepting?"

"The King is suspicious at the very least and wants to cover all his bases. The prophecy has him worried, though he won't admit to it." Answered Cor.

"So what's going to happen?" Ignis asked.

"The two of you, Prompto, and Noctis are going to travel to Galdin Quay in several days and then set sail to Altissia so that the Prince can attend his wedding. You're to follow that plan unless things turn sour." Cor sighed, "Hopefully Regis is just being paranoid."

Cor spent a few more moments standing there in silence, seeming to steel himself. He then said his farewells so that he could search for Prompto and deliver the same news, "Study the documents." Cor reminded them as he shut the door behind himself.

The room went painfully silent between the tension from earlier and the new tension brought on by this development from Cor.

"Shall we... read the report as requested?" Ignis asked, looking at Gladio with wary eyes.

"Noct first, right?" Gladiolus sighed, feeling defeated.

He should've known that Iggy would have moved on by now, he was a fool to think otherwise. Gladio peered back over to the folder in front of him and looked at the picture on the page: Shield of the Just, Disc- Thommel's Glade. It had a location marked on the map beside it.

"So it shows the known locations of all the Arms?" Ignis asked quietly, almost to himself while flipping several pages, "We could always take this with us when we take our leave for Altissia, this is actually my copy of the report."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Gladio said, nodding as Ignis closed the folder, "Listen Iggy, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, you were right: Noct comes first. I should know better, huh?"

Ignis moved to say something when Gladio waved him off, shaking his head sadly.

"Nah, forget it, we'll just keep moving on. I won't mention it again." he promised with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"How about," Ignis began hesitantly, "We sleep on the issue and come back to it tomorrow?"

Gladiolus stared at the other man for several long minutes, the silence in the room deafening over the rain pelting the windows. Finally deciding to give in, Gladio nodded.

"So we're to set sail to Altissia in a few days time. I imagine, should all go well, that our things will be sent to us." Ignis said, trying to change the subject since Gladio clearly wanted to avoid it further.

"Yeah, I'd imagine so. What do you make of the 'Covenant' though." Gladio absently nodded as he spoke.

"I don't quite know, to be completely honest. It hasn't been done in quite some time and very few text remain describing it in almost any part, seeing as the last time it was forged was some two millennia ago. I would think that anything in this is what little is known." Ignis admitted, shrugging with a troubled look on his face.

Gladio tried hard not to think about his slip-up but couldn't help from being distracted by it in thinking that Ignis had wanted him as much as he wanted Ignis, but then the question was: Why did Iggy react that way then? Why had he kissed him back? Surely Gladiolus hadn't just  _imagined_  that look that Ignis had given him while the room was only lit by the candles...

 _Or maybe you're just projecting your emotions onto the man, let it go._  Gladio reminded himself,  _Noct comes first, as his Shield he should always come first._

The sun had since set and the room was simply aglow with the light from the ceiling, the rain hadn't let up and it was still thundering outside. Ignis was saying something but Gladio simply couldn't focus until he realized that Ignis was staring at him expectantly.

"What?" Gladiolus said dumbly, unaware of what Ignis had even been saying.

"I asked if you wanted to sleep on the couch since the rain just seems to be coming down harder and the sun has since set?" Ignis asked again, still looking at Gladio expectantly.

"Are you sure? I don't wanna make you uncomfortable or put you out." Gladiolus asked.

"It would be no trouble, and we could carpool to the palace in the morning." Ignis was interrupted by a sudden call, he looked at the screen for all of two seconds when he answered it with a quick swipe of his fingers and put the device to his ear.

"Highness." Ignis greeted formally, pausing to listen to the other end, "No sir, I should be able to make that happen." Another pause to listen to who Gladio could only assume was King Regis himself. "Seven tomorrow morning?" Ignis looked at Gladio who grimaced at the early hour, "No sir, that should do just fine. I shall inform Gladiolus posthaste. Thank you, sir."

Ignis hung up and looked at Gladio whose grimace turned into an outright groan.

"I  _hate_  early mornings," Gladiolus moaned, annoyed, "If the sun ain't up then I don't wanna be either."

"Don't worry, I'll have already made coffee by then. I'm not a morning person by any means either, Gladio, but a good pot of dark brew Ebony does do wonders."

********

Gladio smelled the coffee before he even fully woke up, nose twitching at the aroma as he sat up. Blinking several times before anything really came into focus he realized that Ignis was standing hunched over the coffee pot with two cups placed haphazardly on the counter mumbling nonsense under his breath.

"Mornin' Iggy." Gladio yawned, looking at the clock on his phone and wincing at the sudden bright light: 5:42 am.

Ignis looked blearily at him, irritation clear as day: he was obviously not a morning person. Gladiolus noticed that his hair was sticking up everywhere and he was half-dressed with pajama pants and a half buttoned silver collard shirt with several buttons in the wrong holes. Gladio stood up and slowly walked toward the other obviously tired man and they both turned their attentions to the coffee which slowly dripped into the quarter full pot. He watched Ignis growl at the machine and pull the pot off its stand and begin to pour the hot liquid into his mug before returning it to its proper spot. Taking a long sip of what must have been a scalding hot brew, Ignis seemed to take it in stride as he shuffled back into the bedroom without another word.

Gladio couldn't help but chuckle, and he thought that  _he_  hated mornings. He had never seen that man before his morning Ebony and now he could see why, that would definitely turn some heads in the palace. Cracking open the refrigerator Gladiolus looked to see if there was any creamer in there and found a limited  _Sweet Duscae Orange_  that only came out around this time of year. Shrugging he pulled it out and closed the door, slowly moving his still-tired feet to Ignis' bedroom door to knock.

"Hey, uh, Iggy? Hate to bother you but I wanted to make sure if it was cool that I use some of that creamer in your fridge?"

Silence. Was he even listening, or did he fall back asleep? Gladiolus hesitantly knocked again and almost immediately the door opened and Ignis--with his cup two-thirds drunk already!--looked slightly more awake with his buttons at least fixed on his shirt. He seemed to be unconsciously glaring from over his mug as he took a large gulp with it still steaming.

"Go ahead, just don't use it all." Ignis answered flatly, taking the bottle away for a moment and opening it with one-hand and his thumb, splashing some in his own cup and swirling it. He handed the bottle back still open and he turned to prepare himself for the day, closing the door again without another word.

Definitely not a morning person, then. Gladio walked back into the kitchen as he poured some of the creamer in his cup, placing it back into the fridge and pouring the now half-full pot into his mug until it was to the brim. He took a tentative sip of the coffee after a moment of blowing and burned his tongue on the caffeinated drink. How could Ignis have just straight gulped it down! The man must be mad to drink flames that could only equate to something from Ifrit himself. Iggy's bedroom opened again with a now fully-dressed Ignis--though he was missing his tie, glasses, and his normal hair do.

"Oh my sweet Ebony, only the Astrals could have made something as sweet and perfect as you." The shorter man murmured lovingly into his empty cup, clutching the thing as though it held the key to life while he beelined for the pot.

Ignis poured another cup of coffee and, after again placing the pot back into the machine, he turned to lean against the counter as he drank the cup almost as quickly as the first. Gladio watched as he poured himself at least five cups before six even hit, forgetting completely about the cup in his hands as he watched in an almost horrified fascination as the man performed his crazy feat.

"Ah, nothing like a good cup of coffee to start your day." Ignis declared happily, setting down his newly empty cup to stretch, "If you don't drink that soon it'll grow cold."

Gladio started and began to drink his coffee as Ignis walked over to his washroom and pulled out the Shield's workout clothes, handing them to the large and muscular man.

"They're dry, but we're expected at the palace in," Ignis checked his phone, squinting at the sudden light but adjusting quickly, "50 minutes. I imagine that's just enough time to bring you by your house so you can have a change of clothes."

Gladiolus nodded and drained his cup, rinsing it quickly in the sink before grabbing his clothes to change. Ignis went back into his room but left his door open this time as Gladio quickly changed from his makeshift pajamas to his now clean clothes from the day before. Unsure of what to do with the old clothes, he draped them carefully over the end of the couch and ran his fingers through his hair as a makeshift comb. Ignis came out about five minutes later with his hair done and his glasses on his face, no sign of the earlier grumpiness that he displayed as he adjusted a tie around his neck.

"If you're ready, we can set out for your home." Ignis said, moving to put on his shoes as they both headed toward the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Gladio is one of the most infuriating characters I've ever had to write because he just does his own thing. Lol. Anyway, I plan on updating every first Monday of the month. Eventually when everything is finished I'l also have a "Table of Contents" kind of chapter in case anybody doesn't want spoilers that is still playing the game.  
> Also, I had WAY too much fun in Ignis' actions in the morning, but I just couldn't help it.


	3. Ignis

Ignis sat in his parked car outside of the Amicitia Manor as Gladiolus quickly ran inside to change, checking the phone he looked at the time: 6:35 am. Not too much longer until the three of them were expected at the palace in front of Regis. Typing in Prompto's number he hit the call button and listened to the ring until Prompto picked up.

"Heya, Iggy!" Prompto greeted, his voice cheery on the other end.

"I just wanted to see if you were up so we could all meet at the palace." Ignis replied, looking at the door to the house, where on Eos was Gladio?

"Don't worry Iggy, I'll be there." Prompto reassured, voice serious. "Cor ran me through everything and the King called me last night once I got home."

Gladiolus finally appeared out of the door of his house and jogged to the car.

"Gladio and I shall meet you there then, Prompto." Ignis informed before saying goodbye and hanging up.

"Trouble finding your clothes?" Ignis asked sarcastically as the Shield jumped into the vehicle and buckled up.

"Actually," Gladio began, "I did. Apparently I'm outta clean pants."

"Well at least you found something." Ignis conceded with an exasperated sigh, pulling his car away and onto the road in the direction of the palace. "Prompto is going to meet us there. Hopefully we're not late."

They managed to make it there with ten minutes to spare. Prompto was pacing nervously on the steps, however he stopped when he saw the two walking towards him.

"Heya guys, ready to go in?" Prompto asked, obviously trying to mask his nerves with a grin.

"Yes, let's." Ignis replied, straightening the cuffs on his shirt.

As the trio walked in they headed immediately toward their destination: a large throne room, big enough for any audience that may be required. This time, however, it appeared to only house the King himself, Cor, Prompto, Gladiolus, and Ignis respectively.

 _Something secret and very need-to-know basis only,_  Ignis thought to himself.

As soon as they were to the steps that led to the throne the large double doors were closed behind them, the loud  _ **BOOM**_  echoing against the walls. The three bowed respectively with murmurs of "Highness" and "Majesty".

"I trust you three all know why you have been summoned and understand the early hour?" King Regis began, waiting for their nods of ascent before continuing, "I am aware that the Treaty is already public knowledge, but I want you three to safely escort my son to Altissia to marry his bride-to-be, Princess Lunafreya Nox Fleuret."

"When are we to set out?" Ignis asked matter-of-factly.

"Early tomorrow morning, so pack only what you need with some to spare should the worst come to pass." Regis grimaced and added quietly, "Hopefully the Astrals will smile upon us."

After a few moments of heavy silence Regis told them to be back at 7 again that next morning to set out before dismissing the three and Cor.

"Heh heh, so we're gonna go on a roadtrip." Prompto laughed gleefully pretending to take snapshots with an invisible camera. "Sounds like a great time to get some pictures in with my baby."

"I'm gonna have to pack my camping gear, gods I'd hate to somehow get caught under the stars with no tent or sleeping bags. Nothin' like pitching a tent and cooking over an open campfire, though." Gladio said to himself with a smile despite everything going on.

"You'll be taking the Regalia when you go, so if you three want to go ahead and pack then you can load up your gear now and set off immediately tomorrow." Cor offered, "I'll be clearing it out for a bit and checking what I can on her before she goes with all of you tomorrow."

"Probably a good idea" Ignis admitted with a nod. "Gladio, since you seem to still be without your vehicle and live the furthest do you want to start at your residence to pack before moving to mine so we can finish? I know you have quite a bit of gear, and two pairs of hands are generally more productive than one."

Gladio thought for a moment before he replied, "Yeah, thanks. Sounds like a plan, Iggy. My car wouldn't be out of the shop until after we left tomorrow anyways."

The four split off, with Ignis and Gladiolus driving back to the Amicitia Manor to pack up Gladio's things. As soon as they arrived Ignis immediately offered to throw the other man's laundry into the washer while the packing commenced. Gladio conceded while digging through his camping equipment, trying to figure out what would be necessary as he pulled things out. Ignis began a load of clothes on a "quick wash" setting so the older man would have something to actually pack, as he walked back into Gladiolus' room--knocking on the door for the sake of politeness, of course--the Shield had begun to set things aside.

"Is this the camping gear that you plan on bringing?" Ignis asked politely, indicating the growing pile.

"Yeah, just trying to figure out if we need more or if that's enough." Gladio said absently, only glancing at the stuff before digging his head back into the closet.

Ignis began to move the items from Gladio's bedroom to the living room, looking at the various things as he went. So far the pile seemed to contain a tent with room enough for the four of them, four folding chairs, four sleeping bags, a cooking station--much to Ignis' surprise--along with some simple things like a first aid kit and a few miscellaneous supplies to secure the tent, or protect it from the elements whether it was put away or set up. By the time he had finished the clothes had washed and he switched them over to the dryer. He heard the front door open and, when he peeked his head out, saw Gladio beginning to haul his supplies to Ignis' car.

"It's locked, you know." Ignis called, turning the dryer on and walking out to help Gladiolus.

All that was left that Gladio didn't have in his arms were the first aid kit and the four chairs. Taking two of the chairs in each hand and tucking the kit under one arm, Ignis walked out with the other man, popping the trunk with a button on his keys.

"I forget how much you can carry at once." Ignis said dryly as they tried to maneuver all the equipment into his trunk.

It was a tight fit, but after a bit of maneuvering, re-positioning, and replacing they managed to fit all the camping gear into the trunk with some extra room that would fit more. When Ignis firmly shut the trunk of his car Gladio cleared his throat awkwardly and spoke up.

"I think we need to talk about last night, Iggy..."

Ignis froze in his tracks with his hand still on the hood of the trunk, his body going rigid. He tried not to remember the feel of Gladiolus' hand intertwined with his, or how it felt when that large hand had decided to find its way up his leg and under his shirt to rest on the small of his back... He really wasn't good at this. Trying to distract himself from the memory and the beginnings of the blush he felt crawling up his neck toward his face he hummed distractedly in reply.

"What part in particular?" he asked, staring at the reflection of the man that he could see shifting in his rear window without directly looking at him.

"You know exactly what part, Iggy." Gladiolus pressed, stepping closer.

Ignis stopped breathing for a moment, overwhelmed by the sudden topic.

"What about it, Gladio?"

"Well, I know that it was kinda outta nowhere when I kissed you, but you didn't seem to object when you kissed me back..." The larger man started, Ignis could see that he was grasping at words to try and continue. "Do you... do you still have feelings for me?"

 _So he finally asked,_  Ignis thought to himself,  _I didn't think that he would actually ask. Maybe it's finally time..._

"I..." Ignis began but had to stop, how to say it?

Ignis felt Gladio's large hand on his shoulder as he turned to look at the man, green eyes meeting amber ones.

"I need to know Iggy, please..." Gladiolus begged, placing his other hand on Ignis' opposing arm and squeezing lightly.

"When you rejected my affections I won't lie and tell you that I didn't put myself back out there, because I did. I tried to forget about you--even managed to date a couple other guys--but none of them could ever compare to you. Every time I looked at them I could only see your face..." The words tumbled from Ignis' mouth and he was helpless to stop it, clearing his throat and looking away he went on, "Between that and the fact that as Retainer to the Prince I pretty much am already married to my work, none of them lasted long or got anywhere close to serious."

"Then why don't we try to make this work? And don't throw those words back at me again," Gladio said, looking seriously at Ignis who had opened his mouth to procure those very words that Gladio had said before to himself. "Surely there's a way that we can have both. We're allowed to have some sort of personal life."

Ignis searched deep into his thoughts, trying to figure out if there was a way for them to even have the remotest possibility of any sort of relationship even whilst on the road. When he had come to a conclusion he spoke up.

"We just might be able to, but we must  _always_  put Noct first. He is the Prince and our jobs demand that he must come before anything else. This doesn't mean that we are official but... it's a start." Ignis finally said.

Gladio's eyes lit up with joy as Ignis finished, a grin plastered wide on his face as he nodded. They went back inside after that to wait on Gladio's clothes.

 

***********************************************

 

As Ignis packed a small suitcase with clothes, hiding the "Covenant" folder in between two collared button-ups, he grabbed a few magic flasks in case they ran into any daemons on the road. Pausing he could feel a heaviness in the air, his Prince was finally taking those final steps towards becoming King, and they might not be coming back to the city for some time. That fact of this quite possibly being the last time he could call that apartment "home" was bittersweet to him.

Ignis could hear Gladiolus rustling around his kitchen, the banging of the pots and pans echoing through the apartment loud and clear. As the blond man shut his suitcase and drug it into his living room he found that Gladio had set his Ebony coffee bags on the table.

"Gladio, as much as I love my coffee, why is it on the coffee table?" Ignis asked with an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well," Gladiolus began, laughing triumphantly as he pulled out a small coffee grinder from a bottom cabinet he had been hunched in, "as hilarious as it is to watch you struggle to angrily function in the morning before your coffee, I think we should make sure to keep it in stock. I even have a metal pot that you can make it in."

"I'm not angry in the morning." Ignis grumbled resentfully, bristling slightly in embarrassment at the thought.

"Well you sure as hell aren't cheerful." Gladio snorted.

"I do have a cooler for long trips so I can keep some canned Ebony on hand."

"Well then we can bring that too."

Suddenly Ignis perked up, whipping his phone out with fingers flying as he pulled up text conversations from Noctis and began typing away at the screen.

_**Ignis Scientia:**  Noct, what do you think of me cooking a feast tonight in celebration of the treaty and your subsequent engagement?_

_**Noct:**  Sure Specs but a feast for the two of us what about Gladio or Prompto you know hell whine if he finds out you cooked and didnt let him have any again_

Inwardly Ignis groaned at the Prince's text. He hated that Noctis didn't use punctuation, but at least he had started to actually spell the words correctly... mostly...

_**Ignis Scientia:**  I was going to suggest inviting them so that they may possibly attend as well. I would regret for all the food in my fridge to go to waste._

_**Noct:**  K ill text them_

_**Ignis Scientia:**  No need to text Gladio, he's helping me pack._

Ignis hit send, he felt like it needed more context but shook it off. Noct wouldn't immediately go jumping to any odd conclusions, after all he had no clue about the night before or the resulting conversation at the Amicitia Manor.

"After we get packed and everything has been subsequently stowed in the Regalia I will have to begin my work for the day. Do you need me to give you a ride anywhere for things you might need to do today?" Ignis said, taking the coffee grinder and setting it next to the coffee.

"Nah, not really. Already had today off. Ironic since today we'll be packing." Gladio replied, he stopped and thought for a moment, "Actually you might wanna to drop me off at Prompto's place, he probably needs help packing. Kid seemed really out of it at all of this, can't say I blame him."

One thing that both Gladiolus and Ignis knew was that Prompto actually had a large crush on Noctis but could never bring himself to confess, now it was too late. Even if he seemed content at just being the best friend or even a figurative brother they both knew that it had to be hurting him.

"Probably for the best, I'll drop you off and load up our baggage into the Regalia myself. Shouldn't be much trouble." Ignis agreed, nodding as he spoke, "Might as well mention that I plan on cooking a feast tonight here to prevent my food from spoiling, that should distract him."

"I shouldn't be surprised that you would want to cook all your food to keep it from wasting." Gladio chuckled, seeming to be excited at the prospect none the less.

"Well since this seems to be all that I'll be bringing we might as well head out, I have loose ends to tie up today as well as general work that must be done." Ignis said with a tone of finality as he put the bag of Ebony in his suitcase carefully along with the small coffee grinder and zipped the bag back up, "My ice chest is under the sink."

Gladio fetched the ice chest from its spot and they headed out. Ignis dropped off Gladiolus at Prompto's home and drove off to the Regalia's parking spot at the palace garage. Cor was there checking the tires and cleaning off the inside of the car when Ignis pulled up.

"Dropping off your things?" Cor asked, watching Ignis nod in confirmation. "I'll pop the trunk and you can begin the transfer."

As Cor reached into the driver's seat of the Regalia to push a button her trunk opened and Ignis opened his own trunk to begin moving belongings from one trunk to the other. It took some maneuvering, but eventually everything had its own neat and tidy spot with plenty of room for Prompto and Noctis' things. Ignis closed both trunks and nodded to Cor as he left to work.

 

************************************

 

A half dozen short meetings later and Ignis was done with the boring part of his day. Bracing himself he looked at his phone, it had been buzzing frequently through the meetings and he sighed when he saw the lock screen.

_**12 missed calls** _

_**17 unread messages** _

Nothing he could do now, might as well check to see what was from who. Selecting the missed calls first he discovered that about two thirds of them were Noctis who left no voice messages for any of the calls, Prompto had called three times--leaving two excited voicemails detailing how much he looked forward to the "scrumptious grub" that Ignis was sure to make and one about how he had finally finished packing--and the last call was from Gladiolus explaining that it had taken nearly the same amount of time to get Prompto to finish packing as all of Ignis' meetings combined. Bracing himself against the onslaught of texts, Ignis selected his messages icon and found out exactly why Noctis hadn't left any voicemail messages for him: they all became text messages instead.

_**Noct:**  Hey Specs when are you planning on starting the food_

_**Noct:**  I lost my white shirt with the silver stripe have you seen it_

_**Noct:**  I CANT FIND MY HAIR GEL_

_**Noct:**  Nevermind found it on the floor also im out of hair gel_

On and on the messages went along those lines until Ignis read the last one essentially saying that the Prince had given up on his packing and would do it later. Ignis let out a frustrated groan as he went to his office to fill out paperwork and make several important phone calls, he mentally began a checklist of what he would have to pack for Noctis when he went by later that evening to pick him up when he got off work.

Reading and signing several reports he read through some of Noctis' paperwork as well, trying to at least have one of them stay on top of the mountain that only ever seemed to grow despite his trying to lessen it.  _I'll have it all shipped to Altissia when we finally get settled in, though I'm loathe to see it again once it all gets sent over._  Ignis thought to himself as he leaned into his chair for a moment and let his head fall backward with eyes closed, trying to figure out what was left to do. A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in." Ignis called, lifting his head back up but massaging his temple.

Prompto and Noctis stuck their heads in before stepping fully into the office. Prompto looked out the window and people watched, finger twitching as though he wanted to take pictures, while Noctis plopped into a chair, making himself at home.

"Y'know my dad said you didn't have to work today either, right Ignis?" Noctis asked, bored.

"Yes, but there is still much to be done. You also have reports to read if I'm not mistaken." Ignis replied, going back to reading several papers and pushing a large stack of manila envelopes and beige folders at the young Prince.

"Ah... not really my thing." Noct said, face scrunching in distaste as he saw he pile, "I think I'll pass."

"You know Noct," Ignis began, he could feel a headache coming on, "Whenever you become King you will be expected to keep up with these without fail."

Noctis moaned loudly, "But that won't be for a long time, Iggy!"

"Be that as it may, I still have to make several more phone calls and arrange for the remaining paperwork to be sent to Altissia at a later date before I can even begin to think about going home to begin the cooking. If you want the food sooner rather than later you would help me go through these."

There it was, the bluff. Ignis could do all the paperwork himself, he was used to it by now, but it was a good motive to get Noctis to possibly help him. He saw debate wrestle in the young man's eyes before he grabbed a thick folder and began to read through it.  _"Hook, line, and sinker"_ , as Noctis had put it many times. Eventually, between the two of them, the paperwork wound down and Ignis finished putting in calls. The sun was setting and Ignis suppressed a yawn. Prompto had curled up into a ball on one of the more comfortable chairs in the corner--that Ignis had had put in for the exact reason that had happened before him many times--and fallen asleep.

"Looks like we're done for the day, I'll help you pack, Noctis. After that we'll head over to my apartment and I'll begin cooking. Mind picking up Gladiolus, Prompto?" Ignis asked the young man, stretching.

Prompto nodded his head and ran off, leaving Noctis and Ignis in the room clearing up the stacks of paper and putting them into their proper places. When they eventually arrived at Nocits' home--having stopped along the way to buy his precious hair gel--Ignis immediately fell into the old habit of cleaning the rooms as Noctis went into his bedroom and pulled out clothes that he wanted to take and placing them on the couch, the only place with a clear spot. After several hours cleaning and clearing, Ignis finally found a suitcase for Noct and began to search through what he had pulled out, setting things aside that were unnecessary and placing things in the bag that were deemed worthy to bring along. Ignis even allowed a few luxuries like several decks of cards, or a hat that Noctis seemed oddly attached to. When they were finished with the bags--Ignis was unable to pack it into just one--they were placed in the trunk and they were off to his apartment.

Ignis sent out a text to both Gladio and Prompto telling them that the food was being made once he had parked, realizing that he had pulled between the two painted white lines on the ground that indicated his designated spot for the last time, leading the way up the stairs and into his apartment. After washing the dishes Ignis began several elaborate dishes: meat-and-beef bouillon stew, marrowshroom chowder, crown city roast, king's stew, sides of vegetables and three-mushroom kebabs--much to the Prince's complaints--kupoberry cheesecake, peppery daggerquill rice, and even a large Leukorn steak cut into equal portions for the four of them. He knew it felt like a lot, but between Noctis and Gladiolus it would all get eaten since the two had voracious appetites. As the stews were finishing up several knocks sounded at the door.

"On my way." Ignis called from the kitchen, moving everything down to a low setting before answering it.

Gladiolus and Prompto were standing there with giant grins and obviously hungry bellies, as their stomachs rumbled at the scents that wafted into the hallway. They made their way in and Ignis shut the door. They all made their own plates and made a toast with glasses of champagne that Ignis had been saving for a special occasion.

"To our journey, and whatever the road may bring!" Noctis said, raising his glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last chapter before the beginning of the game! I couldn't help Noct's texts, I'm pretty sure that's how he would actually do it, lol. I also apologize about how Ignis and Gladio approached the subject of them to try and date each other. It was a little awkward to try and get into the subject, and I'm pretty sure it translated...
> 
> Edit 3/30/18: OMG HOW DID I NOT NOTICE THAT THE LAST LINE GOT CUT OUT!


End file.
